Star Wars: The Last Hope
by Toranih
Summary: What if Luke killed Caedus? With nothing to loose, Darth Corrun, formerly Luke Skywalker, takes a fearsome hold of the galaxy he once knew. The last hope of the Jedi is a young Force adept trained by one who doesn't even believe in that "hokey religon."
1. Dark Beginings

This is an alternate universe to _Invinvible_ in the _Star Wars: Legacy of the Force_ series. Luke feared that if he confronted Darth Caedus he would fall to the darkside, and this story explores what might happen if he did. At the moment I am leaving the rating as teen, but be forewarned, a lot of this will follow Darth Corrun (Luke) as a Sith... which isn't good for anyone. It will switch perspectives between a few different character. As usual, _Star Wars_ does not belong to me. Also, please leave comments. Whether people like it or not will probably determine how much more I write of this story and how quickly chapters are uploaded. That being said, buckle your crashwebbing, we're entering hyperspace to a galaxy a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

**The Last Hope**

Darth Caedus is dead. Then again, so is Luke Skywalker. It was expected, of course. Revenge was never Luke's thing; it was his father's. There was just one difference: his father had been redeemed, while Luke had not. If anyone really thought he could go against Caedus and come out the same, they were naïve. Not even Luke could do such a thing. Luke was dead, but that left someone else, someone stronger and more powerful, someone filled with a desire impossible to match. It was Darth Corrun, not Luke, who stood at the doorstep of Leia's quarters.

The door chimed as Corrun touched the panel. It slid open a moment later and a golden plated droid immediately greeted the man at the door. "Oh, Luke! Thank goodness, I thought you were a doomed for sure! Trying to go against Jacen…"

"Yes, C3-P0, I have returned." Corrun smiled weakly. The droid would be easy to fool. His sister, on the other hand…

"Luke?" A woman in her sixties opened the door wider. "Come in! You look like you've been through a Tatooine sandstorm! Should I call a medic?"

Corrun shook his head and raised his hand to show that he would refuse it. "I will be fine, I can use the Force."

"Still, I didn't think it would be that easy to kill…" She paused. It was her son who had died, her son Luke had killed. _Her son who had been the sacrifice in the prophecy_. Lumiya had been wrong; it had not been Jacen the prophecy referred to. The sacrifice was not Mara Jade; it was Jacen who had to die.

"It was not. I'm sorry, there was no other way." Corrun said quietly. He could still use Leia, so long as she didn't realize the change that had occurred.

"What about Jaina? I felt that something… something had happened." She looked up worriedly.

She had to know the answer already, Corrun thought. Jaina- Jaina had been a complication. She had seen through Corrun too quickly. She felt the change even before he stepped outside the room. If he told Leia the truth, that she had attacked him and he killed her, then Leia would know. Jaina was too strong for a darkside influence from Caedus, as his original explanation would have it.

"I'm sorry. She tried to spare me from attacking Caedus. She said it was her duty, her brother. I tried to stop her, but Caedus took the opportunity to strike before I could step in. There was nothing I could do if I wanted to stop him once and for all. Jaina wanted the galaxy to be a safer place, and her sacrifice gave me the chance to catch Caedus off guard."

"But I thought-" Leia frowned. "I was sure it was Caedus that I felt die first. Luke, there's something different about you-"

The door opened across the room and Han Solo stepped in. Corrun looked away from his sister, then realized his mistake. Han stood in shock as he looked at the man who had been Luke. It was too obvious. Han had taken it the hardest when he learned Jacen fell to the darkside. He would know if someone as close to him as Luke fell. He had seen it before, as had Leia.

"Get away from him Leia!" Han roared, yanking his blaster out of his belt. He always seemed to carry that thing with him.

"Han! What are you doing?" Leia spun around, alarmed. _Her mistake_.

"He's fallen, can't you tell? You're the Jedi; you should be able to see it!" He fired a blaster at Corrun.

Corrun deflected the bolt at the same time as he reached his hand out, and with the Force, grabbed Leia's neck. She screeched, struggling to get away, but Corrun held tight. She knew now, or would know soon enough. She would be a danger to his new reign.

"Leia!" Han fired another shot at Corrun. Then, with a look of anguish, he turned and ran. _Smart guy_, Corrun thought as he let Leia drop to the floor.

"Oh my!" C3-P0 wandered back in with refreshments, stopping when he saw the dead body. "Luke, what has happened?"

Corrun said nothing but drew his lightsaber. He switched it on, filling the room with a deep red sheen. He had taken Caedus' lightsaber when he killed the Sith Lord. A single flick of his wrist, and the robot fell to the floor in two parts with the refreshments he brought flooding the floor. C3-P0 had been instrumental in helping the rebellion and the Jedi too many times. He could not be kept around safely.

Still holding the lightsaber, Corrun stepped into the bedroom. The window was open, the curtains fluttering in the Corellian breeze. He peered out the window, but Han was out of sight. With a prod in the Force, he found that Han had escaped to the _Falcon_. He wouldn't be able to get to it before Han escaped.

He would go after the pilot later, and he would not make the mistake of letting him live. But he had a princess to capture, someone who had the bloodline of his father. If Caedus thought he wouldn't be punished for the death of Mara Jade, he was mistaken. Corren would take Caedus' daughter and train her as his apprentice, assuming she was worthy of living the life of a Sith.


	2. Burnt Gizka

Thanks for reading the first chapter of "The Last Hope." The stats function is showing quite a few hits, so thanks for at least looking. This is chapter 2, following Kayala, about three weeks after Han's escape. I should mention, Kayala's probably the only OC character I'll have in this story, though that may change if needed. Hopefully I can keep the canon characters to their personalities, barring Luke/Darth Corrun, of course, as he should be rather different. This story will like switch between, Luke/Corrun, Han Solo, and Kayala's points of view. Again, please let me know what you think, so I'll know whether or not to continue this story.

**Chapter 2**

Kayala had always had a hard time hunting. She knew it was necessary, and she'd done it before, but every time she tried to make the kill she felt a pang somewhere she couldn't understand. She tried to separate herself from that feeling, that connection, but it was always there, tight as a rope.

Now she hunched forward, watching the hoping little creature in front of her. Gizka were so trusting and cute. Still, they were the only thing she could hope to catch on her own without getting killed. Plus, the yellow spotted animals stood out in the tall grass of Dantooine. They weren't native here, she knew that much. All the better for her.

She considered the blaster on her belt, but that seemed so undignified. That was the other thing about hunting. Killing with a blaster, while safer, seemed to break the honor that she held with the animals of the weapons-pitted plains. Instead, she clutched the handmade spear tightly and stepped forward. She resisted the urge to coo and bring the creature closer; that would be betrayal.

Finally she plunged the spear, effectively killing the gizka and catching her dinner. Like always, she felt the pain of something dragging away from her chest and then faintly unraveling, only to vanish completely. There was no explanation, it simply was. Carrying the speared gizka over her shoulder, she returned home.

Kayala set about cleaning the gizka and preparing the fire pit. This was the third week that her parents had been gone on a mission to get more supplies. It should have only taken a few days, but on the evening of the second day she felt the same thing she felt when she made a successful kill. They weren't coming back, and that left her with no way off the planet.

She knew it would happen sometime- she had lost her brother to a hunt against a nest of kinrath. But now she was alone, and she didn't know how long she could stand to be the sole survivor of the family.

After sitting the spit over the fire to start roasting, she sat back on a fallen log. Something felt funny, strange even. It was as if the ropes that unwound during a kill were twisting back and weaving themselves back together. If she wasn't mistaken, the ropes were leading to her from the direction behind her. Frowning, she turned around.

Instantly she jumped to her feet, reaching for the blaster. Something, or someone, stood just a few feet behind her. The woman couldn't be human, though; she glowed faintly and was uncomfortably see-through. As far as Kayala could tell, the figure had long, reddish hair and looked very… womanly. She wore a tight fitting jumpsuit that did not hide that fact. The worst of it was that Kayala felt somehow connected to it, thanks to whatever the rope thing was.

"Who are you?" she stammered, waving the blaster at the image. Maybe it would go away.

The woman smiled gently. "Hello, Kayala. I was once known as Mara Jade, once the hand of the emperor, once the wife of Luke Skywalker, and now part of the Force."

"The…" Kayala stopped. "The Force? How the mynock am I seeing you, then?"

Mara chuckled. "Maybe because you're Force sensitive, hmm? I know it's a bit unusual- okay, very unusual, but I need your help. We all do."

"_We_? How many more of you are there?"

"As many as those who became one with the Force. For now you will likely see only me. You have heard of Luke, though?"

"Who hasn't? After the Vong war…"

"Yes. Well, he was once a very powerful Jedi."

"Once? He's dead then?" Just like her parents.

"I said he was once a powerful _Jedi_. He is not dead, not his body, anyway. He-" She sighed, looking away. "He has fallen to the dark side and now claims the title of Darth Corrun."

Not like her parents. "Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be telling his sister? Or maybe the rest of the council-"

"They are dead. Around two and a half weeks ago he ambushed the station they were at and easily killed them by cutting all life support and blasting the docking bays out of the sky."

Kayala's face fell. Her parents had gone to a space station to get supplies. "I think I know that."

"That's not the only reason I have come to you. For the time being, Corrun is not aware that you exist, though he could easily find you if he thought to look. There is another reason, though." Mara looked up at the sky, as if expecting to see something specific. "Someone close to Luke escaped before Corrun could kill him. He is coming here. When he arrives you must seek him out and ask him to teach you what he can about the Force."

"He's a Jedi, then?"

"No."

"Sith?" Kayala raised an eyebrow.

"Most definetly not. But he raised three Force sensitive children, married a force-sensitive wife, and was friends with the most of the powerful Jedi who lives- lived. That, and he watched that Jedi being trained by a Jedi of the Old Republic."

"Han Solo? _The _Han Solo?" Kayala's eyes shot open. "But he's the best pilot in the galaxy! What's he doing coming here?"

"Trying to escape Corrun's notice. And though he doesn't know it yet, he's going to be training the next Jedi… the last hope for the Jedi."

Kayala's fantasies stopped cold. "Wait a moment. There's no way I'm going to be training as a Jedi. For one, I'm not a Jedi, and for two, I am _not _becoming a target for this Corrun guy."

"Yes, you are. Granted, you don't stand much of a chance. But you've got the rest of the Jedi backing you."

Kayala crossed her arms. "What, in death? I don't think so." Suddenly she smelled smoke, then realized her roasted gizka was on fire. "Aikes!" She rushed to put it out.

"I hope you like your meat black, 'cause that's what everyone's going to be if Corrun takes control of the galaxy – toasted bantha fodder." Kayala stuck her tongue out at Mara as she rested the smoldering remains on her plate. "Do you really want to be stuck here the rest of your life? I can arrange that, you know. I wasn't the hand of the emperor for nothing. Besides, imagine the glory of fighting the most feared man in the galaxy!"

"There's no glory in death," Kayala grumbled, cutting away the burnt meat.

Mara cringed. "Please don't say that."

"What, 'cause you're dead?"

"No, because a very cunning Sith lady said the same thing. And I'm trying to recruit you for good, not evil."

"You're the one threatening to strand me here, alone. If crashing ships doesn't count as evil, what does?"

"Ever heard of Sith sorcery? They could make people see, or not see, things that were there. I'm sure I could find someone around here who wouldn't mind making you think you were alone."

"No thanks, I'll pass."

"Great. I can see this is going to be as easy as trying to get Han to teach you. I guess I never should have believed you could convince him."

"Wait a moment; are you saying I can't get him to train me as a Jedi?" She turned around to glare at the apparition.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Just you wait! I can do it; I'll show you, you schu…"

"Perfect, that's just the answer I was looking for!" Mara grinned, then promptly vanished.

Kayala stared at the empty plains in front of her, then scowled. "Stang! I think I just signed on for Jedi lessons." With a grunt of frustration, she set about trying to eat her dinner. It didn't taste very good.


	3. Tools of the Darkside

Thanks to those who have read (and are reading) this and to those who have added this to their story alerts. :-) In the meantime, the next portion follows Luke/Corren's point of view. Sorry if Allana isn't quite canon, I haven't read many of the books she's in, and I'm kind of going of what I remember from _Invincible_ and references on Wookiepedia. So let me know if I stray too far off course on her character. In the meantime I'm considering, at some point in time, writing a flashback to show the fight scene between Darth Caedus and Luke Skywalker (and thus showing the immeadiete aftermath as Luke falls to the darkside). Anyone interested?

**Chapter 3**

Darth Corrun hovered over the body of Tenel Ka, looking at the features of Jacen's former lover. Things might not have gone so badly if Jacen had been open about it. Or perhaps it would have been different if Jacen had chosen _his_ family as sacrifice, not the wife of the man who had once been Luke Skywalker.

One thing was certain, though. Had Jacen ignored his feelings when he first met Lumiya, Luke would not have fallen to the dark side. Either way, Luke was dead and so was Caedus. But that left the child.

Corrun turned around to study the little girl hiding in the corner. "Uncle Luke?" she whispered, fear showing plainly. It would be hard to do with her what he wanted, fear was not something the Sith should allow themselves to wallow in. Yet here was the perfect opportunity. Revenge, the final perfection to the loss Caedus had inflicted, and the power in a child who had the blood of Vader in her veins. He would not be quick to throw that chance away. She was young, and could still be taught. The problem, of course, was whether or not she could survive the training.

He stepped forward so that he was only a few feet away from the trembling child. "Luke is dead. I am Darth Corrun. What will you do?"

Allana stared at him, then made just the faintest hint of a snarl. "You've become evil, too. Just like Jacen. He killed for fun. He liked it. So do you." She tried holding his gaze, and only just lost the challenge.

"Evil is relative. Killing is not enjoyable, but necessary." He paused, thinking. He had been a Jedi so long, it would take a while for him to think completely like a Sith. For one thing, there was the ancient code to consider. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but it was a start. "Through victory our chains are broken. The Force shall set us free," he recited, more in contemplation than to the girl.

"You can't be free by killing so many people!" she protested.

He ignited his lightsaber, holding it just away from her chest. He would see what the child would do. "Is that what the Jedi taught you?"

"That's what _you_ taught me."

He smiled. "Then you acknowledge you've learned from me in the past, that I am a master, _the_ master."

"Yes," she answered warily.

"Good. Because consider what the Jedi have done. They tell you not to kill, that it does not lead to becoming one with the Force. Yet they will stop at almost nothing to eradicate the Sith from the galaxy. It seems that they believe killing the Sith will set them free, never mind that they preach against killing."

Allana bit her lip. She saw his point; that was a start. "You're trying to trick me," she finally decided.

"No," he said honestly. "I am trying to show you the truth. The truth is hard to define, and that is where the Jedi fall short. They think it can easily be found through meditation. That has never been the case. Over four thousand years, and they are no closer to the truth they seek. I can show you how to seek, how to become a strong Force user."

Allana looked away, glancing at the lightsaber. "I don't believe you."

"Good. I have something to teach you then."

"You killed mother."

"Yes. I can tell you- show you why, and the reason, if you'll give me the chance."

"You'll just kill me, too."

"Not necessarily. Not if you have the potential and the loyalty to me. The fall of many Sith has been the lack of foresight into future resources and risks. It is important to know how everyone affects each other, and that in turn will aid a true Sith Lord. Your mother was too great of a risk. You, however, are an unknown factor. I want to see what you can and will do before eliminating that factor."

"You're using me."

"We all use each other. It's natural. Will you come?"

"I won't be Sith," she said. She looked down. Still, Corrun felt something else coming from her- indecision. She could still be influenced.

"But you will come?"

She took one last look at her mother's body, then gave the tiniest of nods. "Yes."

Corrun looked her over. Tears were falling from her eyes, but she seemed to have fallen into temporary submission. Not quite what he was looking for, but it was a start. Besides, he didn't need her to be his true apprentice. He just needed her to be in the right place at the right time, when ever and where ever that happened to be.

"Follow me." He turned and walked away, keeping his senses open to the Force. No need to get stabbed in the back by a child. Allana stood without a word and trailed behind him. Things were going according to plan. Good.


	4. Hope Renewed

Ok, got another chapter here. This one is from Han's point of view. A word of warning, though, there is just a bit of mild language here. (Nothing most teens aren't used to, and there was actually in universe cursing in one of the previous chapters, but since that might not be as obvious, I thought I'd mention that it may show up again, for anyone who worries about that sort of thing.) As for future chapters, reviewers have mentioned wondering about Ben and Tahiri. They may or may not show up in the next couple chapters. There's also a good chance that I'll write the flashback fight scene, too. Of course, that's assuming I don't get a sudden amount of homework. Please let me know what you think so far, reviews usually prompt me into writing the next chapter faster. :-)

**Chapter 4**

Han Solo checked to make sure his blaster still worked, then let the _Millennium Falcon_ lower its ramp. After everything that just happened, he didn't want to get killed simply because his blaster died. Orange light flooded the corridor with color, the remains of the sunset. Tall grass waved lazily where most of the wildlife had disappeared when the shuttle came into view. Pale clouds rested in the sky, hinting that the night would be darker than usual, the stars obscured.

Part of Han was tempted to stay in the cockpit or to find a cantina and tick off a local crime lord. This was Dantooine, though, and nothing could be gained either way, even if he could find a cantina. After all the planet had been through, most settlers seemed to stay away from it. For now he could just take a break, get a night's sleep, and hope he wouldn't see Luke force choking his wife when he closed his eyes.

Sullenly, he exited the ramp and waded his way through the grass. There wasn't anything he was looking for, really, just hope. That somehow something would show up and make everything right. Or maybe he could just become a hermit and the universe would stop picking on him. No, that wouldn't work. Luke would find and kill him. Maybe it was a clone- that was it, a clone.

He collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He was alone; no one was there to see him. Chewbacca gone, Leia gone, all his children… What made it worse was that Jacen had fallen, and that Luke had killed Leia and Jaina… When had it gone so wrong? Even the Empire would have been better than this.

What felt like hours passed before he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't move. "Come to kill me?" he asked quietly.

"_You're_ Han Solo? You don't look like the war hero I've heard about."

He froze. That was not a male voice. In fact, that wasn't even the voice of an adult. He turned around to face the girl. She couldn't have been more than fifteen. She was covered in dirt and her hair was so scraggly with grime that he couldn't tell whether it was blonde or fair brown.

He stood suddenly. "Who the hell do you think you are? What would you know about what I've been through?" he demanded. It was bad enough that he had lost everyone he had ever loved. Why should anyone else disturb him now?"

She blinked, watching him curiously. "Ok, so you are General Solo."

"Just call me Han. That, and leave me alone." He turned away. Should he just walk away or stay and hope that she took the cue to leave?

"Now, see, I can't really do that. I've got orders from a Jedi to seek you out-"

He had his blaster drawn and powered up before she could finish her sentence. "Don't think I'm going to let you tell Luke where I am!"

She jumped back, obviously surprised by the turn of events. "No-no! I… no, I know he's dead… or that he's not Luke anymore…" she frowned, as if unsure of what she was trying to say.

Han lowered his blaster slightly. "What are you getting at?"

"She, well, she told me that Darth Corrun had killed your wife and that you were coming here. She said I should seek you out and ask about, well, Jedi training."

Han frowned. She? Who would be showing up to tell some random kid to find him? A Jedi, apparently, and a woman. Someone who had the Force… someone like-

"Leia?" he asked, his voice breaking.

The girl looked taken aback. "No, she said her name was Mara Jade."

"_What_?" he hissed. "But she… she didn't become one with the Force. Her body let us find out what happened…"

"Don't ask me. But she appeared to me last night and told me to ask you for Jedi training."

"I'm not a Jedi! I don't even believe… didn't believe in that stuff, kid! Why would I teach you something I don't know?"

"Maybe because the others are all dead, or about to be?" She crossed her arms. Suddenly she flinched, then looked away. "That was another one," she whispered.

Was she playing him for a fool? "How can you feel that from here if you don't already have good training? Most _Jedi_ can't feel it that far away!"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She was honest; there was something innocent about her face that told him that she wasn't trying to trick him. "I've always felt the death of a kill I made hunting, but I didn't think it was the Force. Not until yesterday, anyway. But I started noticing it when I wasn't hunting about three weeks ago."

Han put his blaster away. "Yeah, that'd make you Force-sensitive. What do you think I can do?"

"I don't know. Teach me how to use it?"

He snorted. "Look, only a Jedi… or Sith… could teach you that sort of thing." He started walking back to the_ Falcon_.

"Han, wait," she pleaded.

He stopped. That voice, it was so familiar…

"Please listen to her, Han. You were there to watch our children learn, you saw what Obi-wan showed Luke."

_That wasn't the girl._ He turned around. Just behind the girl, glowing faintly, Leia stood with a serious expression. "Leia."

"You can teach her, Han. You've escaped Darth Corrun, we did not. Please, you've got to help."

Han looked between his dead wife to the girl, then sighed. "It's always you, isn't it? If it was anyone but you…"

"That's why it's me. Thank you, Han." Leia smiled, then disappeared, leaving the night darker than before.

For a minute he only looked at were Leia had stood. "If that message had been delivered on a rusty R2 unit I would think I was some crazy old hermit." He looked at the girl; she looked utterly perplexed. "Look, kid, just don't give me a hard time about it. What's your name?"

"Kayala."

"Alrighty then. Now, if I remember right, while Old Ben and Luke were training on the _Falcon_, he had the boy blinded with a helmet…" He grinned at the memory and looked down at the girl. "Okay, Kayala, let's start your training. Just promise me one thing."  
"What?"

"Don't fall to the dark side." With that, he led her back to the old junk heap. It looked like the _Falcon_ would be training ground for Jedi once again.


	5. Contemplations

So you guys get your Ben Skywalker scene, after all. He's alive for the moment. Hopefully I got his personality right, enjoy. :-)

**Chapter 5**

Ben sat at the back of a crowded transport, staring blankly at the durasteel wall. He was focusing solely on disappearing into the Force, becoming so small that he could not be found. It was a trick Jacen taught him, and a trick that was now saving his life. Corren was searching for him.

_It isn't your fault._

It was hard to tell himself that. It was his own dad who was now trying to find him, trying to kill him. If he hadn't felt his aunt's death, he might not have gotten out in time. Things were falling into shambles and it seemed even the New Republic knew it. Planets formerly focused on Darth Caedus were turning in fear to what Darth Corren was doing. A few were already offering allegiance in return for sanctuary. Problem was that Corren knew exactly what he was doing. He disappeared until it was too late to stop him.

_I was the assassin. Now Dad is. No- he's not Dad, not anymore._

Ben looked down at his hands clasped together between his knees. What if he had seen Jacen for what he was sooner? No, he couldn't blame himself entirely. He might have been Caedus' apprentice, and then Luke would have been forced to kill him, anyway. But he was still trying to kill Ben, wasn't he? There was no way that Corrun would think that Ben would try to turn to the dark side again, and that certainly didn't seem to be his tactics. It was the Jedi Purge all over again, only this time Ben was there to witness it.

Then there was the other problem- Caedus' apprentice wasn't there when Luke attacked him, and she wasn't on the space station, either. That meant she was still alive somewhere. Question was, did she still believe in the Sith, or had Ben finally shown her the seeds of the doubt that would bring her back to the light?

As much as he hated to admit it, he kind of hoped she stilled believed in Caedus and would take care of Corrun for him. Problem was, that was something of the dark side, and she wouldn't have the power to take down Darth Corrun. It would be better if Tahiri rejoined the Jedi and helped Ben in his self-proclaimed task. He had to stop his father.

_Darth Corrun is too dangerous to live._

He shuddered. That was the sort of thought that led Jacen down the dark path, and then took Luke, too. He recognized the thought, at least, but that wouldn't be enough.

_If I kill Corrun… No, I can't. I'll just do like Dad did. And like Vader. It must run in my family._

Prophecies never did any good. All they ever did was raise a warlord and a hero to destroy the enemy, only to become the enemy himself. So Ben couldn't kill Corrun. That was a problem when Corrun was the most powerful Sith Lord he had seen- though granted, he hadn't really seen that many.

Maybe Luke can be saved; Vader was redeemed. Vader always had that bit of good in him. Luke fell once before, and Han and Leia saved him. But now Leia was gone, and Han was trying to disappear. If Ben tried to find him, he'd likely just lead Corrun to him, and a great lot of good that would do.

_So that's what it was like after Order 66. Just go into exile and hope that someone else comes along to overthrow the emperor? Why'd they have to name me 'Ben?'_

Suddenly Ben's concentration was jarred. He sat upright, making sure to keep himself hidden while reaching out with the Force. Something was moving in the distance, a being touched by dark and light side forces, and _different_.

"Tahiri!" he whispered, glancing around. The passengers around him weren't paying attention. Good. He slipped out of his seat, checking to see where the nearest planet was: _Yavin 4_, a moon. He knew the place well.

Evading the notice of the soldiers, he made his way to the docking bays. He chose a small shuttle and slipped aboard. Soon enough the transmitter signal was disabled and Ben had taken the shuttle to space. Using the Force, he kept the other pilots distracted until he was out of range. He would find Tahiri, whether she was Sith or Jedi, and hopefully, just hopefully, they could find something to do to stop Darth Corrun.

_This might just work after all._


	6. Unexpected Strategies

Thanks to those who have read the story and commented and/or put the story on their alerts. :-D This chapter follows Corrun/Luke's perspective. I do plan on eventually getting a flashback written that involves the fight between Luke and Caedus, though it may take me a little while to get that scene written. I figure that the battle scene will probably be a bit longer than the other chapters, considering who is fighting who, and since something will need to lead to the flashback. Then there's the choreography of the fight to consider (I want at least part of this to be based strongly on lightsabers) as well as the other things they do. And then there's the whole thought process as Luke becomes Darth Corrun to consider...

At least that a bit of a teaser to what I plan to write for it. :-)

**Chapter 6**

Darth Corrun pressed his finger to the intricate markings at the base of the holocron. It was a beautiful, horrifying piece of work, and he was quite lucky to have found it. Most of these had been destroyed, he knew, and this one was particularly rare. He paid close attention to the hooded figure glowing above the pyramid, listening to the story of Darth Bane's childhood. This had come to be of particular interest to him, as both he and Bane chose apprentices who were young and had lost their family. One thing he already knew, however, was that he needed to exercise extreme caution with Allana. As of yet she refused to be swayed, and she would be a likely candidate for betrayal. Her interest was not in raw power, as Darth Zannah's, Bane's apprentice, had been.

He glanced over to where the child sat, studying an ancient text he had found for her to read. He doubted that she was actually taking much information in, unless she was looking for weaknesses, and earlier he had to stop her from doodling on the margins. At least they had depicted someone trying to decapitate him- there was some hatred in her he could exploit. She would not live much longer, though; he would have to find use for her soon if her survival was to have meaning. Her risk was too great.

In the meantime there was Han Solo to consider. The longer the scoundrel lived, the more likely he could actually find a way to defeat Corrun and his purpose. There was no place in the galaxy for one who had been tainted by such a sacrifice, and Corrun knew that killing Leia had made the matters worse. His best hope would be to distract Han with a moral dilemma, perhaps the presentation of Allana…

He turned off the Holocron and considered the possibility, slowly standing and letting his cloak fall easily around him. For now he kept the symbol of both Jedi and Sith, but soon he would shed it. The robes were too cumbersome, and he needed something that allowed him to move more freely and didn't pose a hazard in battle.

"Allana."

She looked up from the Sith tome, but she didn't turn around to face him. Stubborn little brat.

"You need a break. Come here; train with me," he said quietly: an invitation, not a demand. Allana simply returned to the book.

He chuckled. "You won't get anything from it if you read it and never test any of the hypotheses."

"I don't think testing a thought bomb would be a good idea."

Corrun raised an eyebrow. She had been listening to the holocron, not reading. He should have suspected that, and next time he would. "Very good point. You might have the makings of a Sith Lady yet." That was a lie, but sometimes words often said became truth.

"I don't want to be a Sith Lord," she said flatly.

He folded his arms over his chest, watching the stiffness of the child's back. "Good, I don't want you to be one either." That was true, depending on how she interpreted it.

Her neck jerked slightly, and he could tell he had surprised her. She turned just enough that she could see him from the corner of her eye. "I'm still not going to try to be a Sith."

There was the spark he wanted to see! "Good, you can tell when I'm trying to use reverse psychology on you." It was dangerous, as that made it harder for him, but it did give him a chance to try to make her trust him, even warily. He returned to the holocron, presenting his back to her. Here was her chance, if she wanted to try it.

"So how has your practice been? Any luck?" He held perfectly still, judging her emotions with the Force. Depending on how she reacted, he might need a stronger defense.

"I don't practice."

"It's hard to improve that way."

"Not everything has to be obvious."

_There it was._ He felt her tense, struggling to bring up the feelings suggested in the book. He sent a little nudge along, trying to influence her already present anger. She almost had it, if she could just believe it.

Suddenly he swung to the side, raising his hand to catch the tiny spark of Force Lightning that the girl threw at him. It hardly stung him, but she had done it; she had actually used-

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge," she recited sharply. "And knowledge tells me that anger isn't what causes static electricity." Promptly she turned around and sat.

Corren stared, dumbfounded. _Ouch_. She didn't use her anger; she used the Force to upset the air around them! _Inventive_. He would have to find a use for her much sooner than he had intended.

He sat back down at the Holocron, staring at the inactive object. He would put Bane's teachings on hold for the moment. He needed to find Han first and make sure that the pilot didn't get out of his reach. Then he could return to discerning Bane's greatest failures from his greatest successes. Then there was someone else to take care of- his son. Ben, like Han, would be dangerous if left to his own devices.

Corrun settled into a meditative state, searching for his brother-in-law.


	7. Hand of the Idiot

It feels like I'm running out of ideas of how to keep this going, but at least I have an idea of how I want to do the ending. (Still a few chapters away, though). So, what's your favorite character's points of views that I've shown so far? What would you like to see more/less of? I might try doing more from a specific character if it fits and if more people want to read that. In the meantime, still trying to figure out how to the battle scene, and at some point I have to show what happens to Ben and Tahiri.

**Chapter 7**

Kayala flinched. A blaster bolt from the training droid nearly caught her arm as she attempted to dodge wherever the droid was going to shoot next. That was easier said than done, since she had the blaster shield over her eyes. She kept her own blaster at waist level, trying to sense where the droid was going to shoot next, then disabling it.

There! There was some sort of movement! She fired in the general direction.

"Hey! Not me, the droid, the _droid_!" Han protested.

She sighed, glaring at the darkened vision field. "I think we're missing something, Han." She pushed the helmet off and, seeing where the droid was floating this time and shot it.

"Nah, can't be. I mean, we have the droid, the helmet, the lightsab… Oh yeah, the lightsaber. We don't have a lightsaber." He frowned, scratching his chin. "Where are we going to find a lightsaber on _Dantooine_?" He let out an exasperated groan and returned to sitting in the grass.

"Well, Dantooine used to have a Jedi enclave on it." Han started to perk up until she added, "Four-thousand years ago."

He scowled. "This isn't going well. How do we plan to beat Luke if we don't even have a lightsaber? If Leia and Mara can show themselves to you, why don't _they_ train you?"

"Maybe because they had lightsabers and lost, whereas you had a blaster and survived?" she suggested.

"Hmm, I always did say there's no match for a good blaster at your side. It's true. Problem is, a blaster isn't going to kill the next great big bad Sith Lord." He stood again, starting to pace.

"Maybe we don't have to kill him. Darth Vader didn't have to be killed to be redeemed."

"Yeah, but he was pretty near death as Luke explained it."

Kayala shrugged. "Just a thought. So, what do you want me to do next?"

"I'm not…" Suddenly the shrieks of several mynocks settling onto the _Falcon_ filled the air. "Hey!" Han yelped, running after them. "Get away from there you lousy birds! You'll be bantha fodder if I get you…"

Kayala simply stood there, watching as Han attempted to scare them away with blaster bolts. They just bit back, to his obvious annoyance. Small bits of electricity surged where the Mynocks had gotten through the power cable's protection. _There's an idea._

She sat down in the meditative position Han had attempted to show her. (Han tried to sit correctly, falling over, whereas she managed to sit relatively easily.) She closed her eyes, breathing slowly. _Become aware of your breathing, then of the world around you, then whatever else you Jedi feel that I can't_, Han had told her.

Slowly she came to the feeling of an inner sight. She could see a shifting form of the world around her. This was the furthest she had come at being able to detect things through the Force- she was getting better. She sifted through the blades of grass, reaching out to the power lines on Han's ship. There it was, the power cable. With an invisible hand she capped the cable, holding back the energy streaming through it. The Force showed her the mynock above it fluttering its wings, confused. It started to attack again, and she let go of her hold on the energy. She opened her eyes in time to see a sudden crack of electricity reach out and strike the mynock, who shrieked and decided not to stick around.

It took her just a moment to see Han looking confused between the two before she fainted.

* * *

Han looked down at the unconscious girl, checking her pulse. It was pounding much faster that it should be. "Hey, kid. Kid, wake up!" He back-handed her cheek, startling her back to wakefulness.

"Wha' the…"

"You fainted. I take it you had something to do with the mynock."

She groaned her response, which Han guessed to be yes. That was a stupid trick she had pulled, not to mention unconventional. He didn't think she had used dark side energies, since the electric current hadn't come from her, but she definitely had caused it. What was he going to do with her?

It wasn't like he knew how to train her. So far she had trained herself, just getting ideas from what Han suggested. Everything was things that he didn't really understand, things that would do better for another Jedi to teach. Why couldn't someone else teach her?

A thought occurred to him. It seemed that every time he tried one thing, she automatically tried to apply it to the Force. Perhaps he needed to teach her things that he knew well, and let her train herself. Yeah, that was it.

"Kid?"

"Uh-huh?" She rubbed her head. "I've got a headache."

"Use the Force to heal it. That's what the others did. Well, normally they had people specifically tailored to it, but they could all use it to some extent." He didn't mention that he had forgotten to check the supply of medpacs on his latest trip.

He left her there, walking back to the ship.

"Where are you going?" she complained.

"To get my Sabacc deck. I'm going to teach you a few things about the Idiot and a good hand."

She didn't respond for a minute. "What?"

"Just bare with me, I think I've figured out what the Jedi want me to do."

"Okay…"

He glanced back. Kayala was running to keep catch up to him. Well, at least he might get to have one good game before she started predicting the cards or something.


	8. Flashback

**The flashback is here!** Yep, now you can see the fight scene between Darth Caedus and Luke Skywalker- I just hope I did it justice. In the meantime, I did warn you that it would be a long one. I will mention, I don't think this should have a mature rating, but please let me know if you think it should. Also, there is still one more key point to Luke's fall not mentioned here, so there will probably be another (shorter) flashback somewhere in one of the next chapters involving Jaina and Luke. So, I hope you enjoy the read, and please let me know what you thought about it. :-)

**Chapter 8**

Darth Corrun eased the controls of his fighter, letting the shuttle do most of the work for him. Allana sat beside him, pouting at her reflection in the view screen. One and a half weeks, and the most she had done was convert anything he taught her either to the light side of the Force or so that it turned against him. She was too dangerous for him to keep trying to train as his apprentice; he could see that now.

He knew where Ben was, though, as well as Caedus' apprentice. Though he would have preferred to go after Han Solo, first, he knew that the danger in allowing Ben, Tahiri, _and _Allana to be alive beforehand would likely result in his ruin. So he decided that he would use Allana as bait to draw Ben and Tahiri out, and then he would kill them. He just hadn't told Allana yet.

He couldn't try to convert them to the dark side, he knew that much. Ben had already proven his allegiance, and Tahiri held too much doubt. Even if one of them did decide to pledge loyalty to him, it would likely end in betrayal and his death. And then there was Caedus' taint to consider. Ben was the first one, having lost his mother to the Sith Lord's sacrifice. Tahiri was the next, having lost Anakin Solo to the Yuzzhan Vong, then believing Caedus could bring him back.

As he considered the possibilities, Darth Corrun reflected back on the final battle. The fight had changed everything that he had ever understood about himself.

* * *

Luke fitted his cloak over his shoulders, taking a second glance in the mirror. Though he couldn't see her, he felt as if his dead wife was silently looking over his shoulder. "I've got to do this," he told himself firmly. He grabbed gloves off the top of the dresser, slipping them over both hands. They could add at least a bit of protection against lightsaber attacks due to their weave. He sighed, finally clipping the lightsaber to his belt. Then, hesitantly, he sorted through the bottom drawer, finally grasping the shorter lightsaber that he had used to fight Lumiya. Caedus had been planning for this fight for a long time, and he knew many of Luke's weaknesses and had likely learned new tricks. Luke wanted to have a few tricks of his own.

Finished preparing for the battle, at least in his clothing, Luke peaked into the bedroom door at Ben. The kid was sleeping soundly, unaware that Luke was leaving now to go. He had told the council that he would be leaving later than he actually was, so no one would try to follow him, and so that if Caedus heard, he would be thrown off-guard.

"I love you, Ben," Luke whispered, then closed the door.

He treaded gently through the halls and to his shuttle. As he was preparing to board, the little astromech droid, R2-D2, wheeled his way to Luke's side and let out a series of questioning beeps and whirs. Luke smiled gently. "Sorry, Arrtoo. I need you to stay here and take care of Ben, 'kay?'"

Arrtoo beeped his protest that his place was at Luke's side. "I might not come back from this, Arrtoo. Someone has to know why. Don't tell anyone I've gone, promise?" Arrtoo beeped agreement. Luke rubbed the top of the droid's plating, wondering if he would ever see the droid again. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong. Still, he couldn't send anyone else to do it. Jaina was the strongest beside him, he knew, but he couldn't ask her to kill her own brother. It would be too dangerous, and if she died, too, Han and Leia would be devastated- particularly Han.

He stepped inside the shuttle and lowered the hood. He took it out of the docking bay, and once in clear space, set it on autopilot. Then he settled into deep meditations, hiding himself in the Force from Caedus and focusing on the task he was about to complete.

* * *

Later that night, Luke stood just outside of the furnace room where Caedus was burning the remains of the dead royalty. Though not happy about it, Luke forced himself to wait until Caedus was done, giving himself one last chance to calm his nerves.

_I have to do this; Caedus must be stopped. The dark side is too strong in him. I will try to redeem him if I can, but I do not have the father-son bond that I had with Darth Vader. There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no death; there is the Force._

Luke sighed, tugging the lightsaber from his belt. He could give Caedus a chance to redeem himself as a Jedi preferred to, but Caedus would likely just take the moment as a chance to attack. As it was, Luke needed all the surprise he could get. A shift in the Force of Caedus' emotions told Luke that the Sith Lord had completed his work. It was time.

_May the Force be with me._

Luke stepped away from the wall and punched the light pad on the door's edge. The door swooshed open, and Luke was momentarily blind from the darkness of the darker, red light. He didn't waste a moment, listening to the Force so that he could stay out of Caedus' reach as his eyes adjusted and as he lit the area with the green glow of his lightsaber.

As soon as his own saber was lit, Luke saw Caedus' crimson saber ignite as well, flicking in a circular motion. Showing off wouldn't win the battle; smooth, effective strikes would. Both leapt forward at the same time, judging what the other would do. Luke went straight forward, knowing his movement would have to change anyway. Caedus brought his lightsaber in an overhead sweep, forcing Luke's blow away from his torso. Luke changed tactics, quickly maneuvering the fiery weapon until it came back under the other blade and he tried a second attack.

Caedus pressed forward, forcing Luke back as he pushed the lightsaber away from him. He kept Luke's blade just above his own. Luke dropped back, withdrawing his lightsaber so that he could reposition it. Even Caedus' missing arm didn't hinder his fighting, only his flourishes. Caedus stepped back into stance, throwing his lightsaber with the Force. It ripped through the air, but Luke quickly deflected it so that it spun overhead. Before he had time to change style, lightening crackled from Caedus' now free hand. It momentarily lit the room fiercely and blinded Luke.

Only thanks to the Force did Luke manage to catch the lightening on his lightsaber, hearing a thundering crackle come from the two energies combined. Just as quickly he stepped aside as Caedus yanked the lightsaber from behind him. Had he not stepped aside, he would have been skewered, and the fight would have been ended. But he wasn't, and the fight was far from over. He grasped at the Force then thrust his hand forward, catching Caedus' body with the invisible power and sending him flying.

Caedus crashed into a medical cart, sending it toppling over and rending beakers and breakables into thousands of tiny glass shards. While Caedus recovered, Luke took the second, shorter lightsaber in hand and ignited it. Caedus couldn't have that advantage so long as he missed an arm. The Sith Lord didn't take long in pushing himself back up, baring an evil, angry scowl on his face. His yellow eyes searched Luke's face and then he snorted.

"Sorry, Luke. You're not going to win this time." With a great push of the Force, he launched himself off of the ground, tumbling through the air and nearly landing on top of Luke. Luke scrambled forward as he crossed his weapons to block Caedus' attack. At the same time he twisted around to block the next attack coming from Caedus when the Sith crashed to the ground and pirouetted back in a circle. Instantly they were back at it, exchanging simple blows as each tried to take the offensive.

"I've brought peace to the galaxy, surely you can see that!" Caedus held the lightsaber tight for the moment.

Luke stared solemnly across the crossed lightsabers. "No, Caedus, you've brought death and destruction." He didn't want to give himself a moment to be distracted, but he had to give Caedus the chance. "If you turn back now-"

"Turning back won't save the galaxy. Only a firm hand can do that. Only a firm hand can rule the people in peace!" Caedus tried to thrust his lightsaber over Luke's but Luke side-stepped and uncrossed his weapons so that the Sith Lord momentarily stumbled forward.

Luke lunged forward, striking Caedus' back before he could completely stand again. Caedus roared and spun around, flinging Luke with a Force push. For just a moment he dropped his lightsaber, using his hand instead to hold Luke tightly in the air by his neck.

Gasping for air, Luke searched the Force for the strength to defeat Caedus' hold or simply to keep from blacking out due to lack of oxygen. Behind Caedus an untended droid sat inactive against the wall. Luke grabbed it with the Force and brought it hurtling forward. Caedus sensed the object coming for him and switched attention, slamming Luke to the ground as he spun to block the droid from crashing into him.

Luke gasped for breath, struggling to push himself off the ground. Pain roared through his human arm and through his leg. He could scarcely move his fingers, all his weight had crashed onto his hand, not only breaking many of the bones, but bloodying it to the point Luke knew he would not be using his left hand for anymore direct combat. For the moment that Caedus was distracted, he sought to collect his thoughts and heal what he could of his leg.

The fight was not going well, but it was going better than he initially expected. So far Caedus' motives seemed only half-way initiated. He was holding back, which led Luke to think that there was something else that Caedus wanted. Perhaps that trace of good was still present. But something bugged Luke in the back of his mind. Caedus said he wanted peace, and his attempt at absolute control seemed far from it. Still, he could see the connections, the little things that hinted at a larger peace. The best way to unite two enemies was to give them a common foe…

Caedus attacked again. This time Caedus didn't hold back: his movements were faster, more furious, and fueled by rage. Luke dropped the shorter lightsaber and focused his attention to his own. As they exchanged a series of parries and thrusts, Luke realized that Caedus was pushing him back toward the open face of the incinerator. Not a good idea.

Luke launched himself over Caedus' head. Caedus flung his lightsaber in a quick strike, splitting Luke's cloak nearly in half but missing the Grand Jedi Master. As soon as Luke landed on the other side he motioned with his hand to a large crate against the wall. In toppled to the ground in front of Caedus, giving Luke the time he needed to shrug off his cloak. Cloaks weren't particularly helpful in acrobatics.

Caedus jumped over the broken pieces of wood with his hand open. Getting premonition from the Force, Luke spun around in time to raise a shield of the Force, blocking shards of glass from impaling him. Not all of them were blocked though, and he bit down hard to keep from letting out a grunt of pain. Even as he blocked the glass, Caedus came up from behind him and raised his lightsaber for the mortal blow. Luke only just sensed it in time to push outward in the Force in all directions, forcing Caedus' blow away. He turned around, staggering at the energy levels required.

"There is no emotion…" he breathed raggedly, reaffirming his grip on his lightsaber. "There is no passion…" _Caedus killed my wife…_

He shook the thought away. Now was not the time for that! This couldn't be about revenge, not now! He attacked again as Caedus stood easily. Emotionless, the Sith simply raised his hand and sent Luke flying once again. Luke braced himself with the Force, but he still felt ribs crack and his back stiffen as he crashed into the metallic wall. He collapsed to the floor, stunned. Why was this happening? The Sith shouldn't be more powerful; Jedi should at least be equal in power.

Caedus strolled forward, swinging his lightsaber in figure-eights. Luke looked up wearily, wiping blood away from his mouth. _Caedus is going to kill me._

"You've lost, Luke. I will bring peace to the galaxy, you were just wrong about how to do it."

Luke stared at his nephew. How had this happened? What went wrong? He struggled to push himself up, using the Force to help him stand on the broken leg. Nothing was without pain; just standing nearly sent him back to the floor. He had to stop this, but how? He couldn't just give up…

_Mara Jade…_

If Caedus hadn't killed Mara, he wouldn't have taken the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith, wouldn't have prompted Luke to kill Lumiya wrongly, wouldn't have given Luke reason to consider asking Jaina to kill her own brother, wouldn't have brought Luke here now. _Caedus has to die._

Luke backed up against the wall, pressing his hands firmly against the warm metal. He shouldn't need, _didn't _need, support. Scowling, he stepped forward, trying to stand steady. "You aren't going to kill me, Caedus."

"I have foreseen it, Luke. This is meant to happen. This will bring peace to the galaxy." Caedus stopped a few meters from the Jedi, holding his glowing lightsaber still.

_No. He has tainted the galaxy. Killing my wife, hurting the families of others, betrayal… He must be stopped, and the taint must be removed- one way or another._ At the time Luke didn't even notice his own emotions rising, stepping in to take control. "You won't kill me, Darth Caedus."

Caedus shook his head as if Luke simply didn't understand his meaning correctly. He took another step forward and raised his lightsaber. "Yes, I will."

Luke only meant to push Caedus out of the way so that he could attack again. Instead, as he lunged forward in a half-leap, half-stumble, lightning sprung from his hand at the same time that he pushed with the Force, sending Caedus sprawling. Luke froze, staring at Caedus as the man shook his head in complete surprise. The strike hadn't been enough to seriously hurt the Sith Lord beyond his defenses, but it had been much stronger than Luke would have expected.

"_Good! Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you."_

Luke shuddered as he suddenly recalled the Emperor's words. "No, I'm not like that…" he whispered. "I won't be like that…"

Caedus stood warily, watching Luke with surprise and suspicion; he walked towards Luke at in an arc. "Jedi don't use Force lightning," he said simply, looking for affirmation from Luke.

Luke only faintly heard him. _I just used dark side energy. I wasn't in control of my emotions. I can't let this be revenge, but what was that? I need to retreat now; I can't successfully attack him without it becoming revenge. But if I retreat, he will win, and the galaxy will fall._

He looked up, indecisive. This was the wrong time for it. He would fall if he killed Caedus, but the galaxy would fall if he didn't kill him. Either way was not the answer he wanted. "I see why you chose to do what you did," he told Caedus quietly. Caedus stopped pacing, listening. Luke knew that Caedus likely didn't want to attack again until he knew what strategy Luke would try this time.

_So many Sith Lords were Jedi trying to do the right thing. Sometimes it happens slowly, sometimes quickly. Even I wouldn't be able to stop from falling too far, not after having been victim to the dark side once befo-_

Caedus charged forward, tired of waiting. Instantaneously, Luke grabbed Caedus with the Force and slammed him against the wall, as he had done to Luke. "Stay back, Caedus!" he snapped. "If you want your peace in the galaxy…"

Caedus pushed himself back up, this time looking like he had sustained several wounds as well. "You're-" he paused. "Uncle Luke…"

"Don't try that with me, Caedus. You've made your choice, now let me make mine!" Luke staggered away from the wall, igniting his lightsaber and listening to the throb and hum of the blade.

"You're turning. I don't believe it! Who would have thought that-"

Luke crashed forward, feeling the pain in his limbs dim. _If I can't save the galaxy from Caedus, I can certainly try to stop it from suffering under the things he did._ Caedus whipped his lightsaber in front of him, finally being forced to use defensive moves. As Luke near-recklessly drove him back, Caedus twisted and spun, trying to block Luke from hitting him. Most of the times he was successful, but finally, he wasn't.

Luke swiped his lightsaber across Caedus' thigh, dropping the Sith Lord to the ground before Caedus tripped Luke so that he rolled into a tumble forward. By now his senses where all but deadened, and he only listened to the pain so that he knew where to put the extra strength of the Force. Caedus was up again, using his own techniques to remain fighting.

As Luke rolled back into a fighting position, he noticed the incinerator against the far wall. Pieces of metal still sat inside it, glowing red and white with heat. He spun around and grabbed Caedus again as he reached out with the Force, closing the power of the heated metals. He yanked Caedus tightly, bringing the two face to face before he stepped around in time to place Caedus between the large, flying chunk of molten durasteel, and himself.

Luke held himself against the impact as Caedus screamed. He let go of the Sith Lord and Caedus collapsed. Luke stepped back, reigniting his lightsaber so that the green shine lit the floor around his opponent. Caedus tried to pull himself back up; tried to draw on the dark side of the Force, and Luke simply watched his nephew for a silent moment. This was the moment of choice.

_Sorry, Father. Sorry, Ben, Mara. Sorry, Leia, Han, but there's no other way now to finally rid the galaxy of the taint caused by Caedus._

Luke stepped forward and called Caedus' lightsaber to his broken hand. He clasped the weapon tightly, still looking at Caedus. Caedus only looked sadly at the man who had been a Jedi. "You didn't kill me, Caedus." He plunged both lightsabers into the Sith's chest.

Luke started when he heard what Caedus said just before he died. "Actually, I think I did," Caedus whispered.


	9. Card Tricks

Thanks to those who read and to those who commented on the last chapter. :-) Here's another with Han and Kayala, and I think the next chapter will likely involve Ben and Tahiri. Sometime after that I'll see where I can fit the Luke/Jaina fight flashback. Let me know what you think. :-)

**Chapter 9**

Han sat his cards down, leaning his elbow on the table with his chin in his hand. "Alright, kid. How the Force did you make my cards blank?" He scowled at the girl, noticing that she seemed rather pleased with herself as she peaked with one eye to see what he meant. "I just hope it's reversible," he muttered.

"Yes!" Kayala jerked her arm down in victory. A moment later the images reappeared on the cards. Han picked one up and tapped it on the table. It was the card he had needed to win the game.

"By the way, I wouldn't advise this in an actual game. You might get a few hunters mad with you."

She smiled innocently. "If they don't know I'm a Jedi, how would they know it's me?"

"You're not a Jedi yet. Think of it this way: they've played games with each other for years, and suddenly a new kid comes along and their cards are blank or random cards show up where they shouldn't. Think they would blame each other, or the new guy? On the other hand, if the new guy's someone you don't like…" He stood, scraping his chair against the metal grate floor.

"That would be revenge, and very un-Jedi-like," Kayala announced perkily.

"I'm just saying!" he protested. "Look, we've been playing since what, three in the morning? I've got to use the 'fresher. Just please, don't stack the deck?"

"Okay," she said as she flipped a card in the air using the Force.

He sighed and exited for the corridor. She was definitely Force-sensitive, but she didn't have what it took to fool Luke. He would be able to see through anything she tried, and Han didn't have the experience to teach her how to hide in the Force like Ben and Jacen could. "Poor kid's got a suicide mission."

"It's not suicide if she stands a chance."

Han screeched and yanked his pants back up. "_Mara Jade_!"

She just scowled at him. "Don't worry, all my feelings are for Luke. Now, if you don't mind, we have some things to discuss about Kayala's training."

"_Can this wait 'til I'm done?"_

The Jedi apparition shrugged. "Sure, I've got plenty of time. It's Kayala I'm worried about." She disappeared through the door, not bothering to open it.

Han muttered angrily to himself and kept his eye on the door in case she came back. When he was done, he left the refresher and stepped outside with his arms crossed. "Now, what were you saying?" he growled.

Mara smirked. "Well, it seems Kayala's gotten a fairly good hand for gambling and projecting small images. She also seems to have been quite the marksmen."

"Just because she shot me in the-"

"Not the point," Mara raised her hand, cutting him off. "Darth Corrun is planning now to kill Ben and Tahiri. As soon as he has completed his job, he will come after you and Kayala."

"Does he know about Kayala yet?" Han asked seriously.

"No. But…" Mara bit her lip. "We dead Jedi have been discussing something that may concern him."

"Like what?"

"As you know, Darth Vader had a high midiclorian count, and was believed to be the child of prophecy. We later determined that was Luke. But someone else among us suggested there's another prophecy we should be worried about, now that Luke has become Darth Corrun."

"Did I mention how much I hate prophecy?"

"I believe you did. However, that doesn't change the fact that Darth Corrun is starting to appear to be fulfilling bits and pieces of another prophecy."

"What, the one Caedus based his attacks on?"

"Well, that too, but there's another one."

"Which is?" Why was she getting so evasive? Normally she was frustratingly blunt- like five minutes ago.

"There's this prophecy known among some of the ancient Jedi about someone known as the _Sith'ari_."

"Sith? That doesn't sound good. What 's it mean?"

"Well, something like king or emperor, but more importantly, the Sith believed that eventually one of them would rise up to become the perfect being."

"And you think it's Luke."

"Not yet, no. But his actions seem to suggest that he will take that status very soon. When he does, there won't be any chance to defeat him."

"That's what Palpatine thought," Han pointed out.

"Palpatine wasn't invincible. Darth Corrun wiped out a space station of Jedi _on his own_. Anyway, I wanted to warn you so that you know we're on a time table. That and we want you to train Kayala the basics of wielding a lightsaber."

"Uh-uh, I don't think so. I use a blaster, and that's it. Lightsabers are your jurisdiction, not mine. Besides, one- we don't have a lightsaber, and two- two weeks of fighting is not going to prepare Kayala to fight Corrun."

"True. But Corrun doesn't have to know that. Besides, why would you need a real lightsaber when Kayala can make her own with the Force?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you should count the number of cards in your Sabacc deck next time. Her illusions are very well done. Just be happy she's not a Sith."

Mara disappeared, leaving Han with an unspoken comeback hanging from his mouth.

"You're kidding me!" He finally muttered, returning to the card table. He had a cheater to catch.


	10. More Than One Legacy

Here's another Ben/Tahiri chapter. Sorry if Tahiri's character isn't quite right, I'm having a hard time remembering what her personality was like in the books I've read. Hopefully it's close enough to make sense. There's also a few references to one of the earlier book trilogies here, though I don't remember what the name of that series was. I think the next chapter should have the Jaina/Luke fight flashback scene, and if I write it the way I'm imagining it, it should be a bit more flashy with fighting. In the meantime, enjoy! :-D

**Chapter 10**

"Tahiri? Tahiri!" Ben kept his senses alert, trying to pinpoint where the woman was. He pushed his way through clumps of bushes, using the Force to keep itchy bugs away from him. He had only been on ground for a few minutes, but he had already lost track of Caedus' apprentice. "Tahiri!"

He wasn't having any luck. He could see the broken remains of a temple a little ways away and he recognized it as the one the new Jedi Academy had been in. Muttering to himself, he made his way through the overgrown jungle and to the foot of the great structure. Once there he stopped, frowning. Something felt wrong, as if what had once belonged to the light side was being regained by darkness.

"That's odd." He pulled his lightsaber from his belt, holding it ready at his side. Keeping his composure, Ben entered the temple, going through the once familiar halls. The lights were dark from disuse, but Ben didn't need light to see with the Force.

"_Skywalker…"_

Ben spun around. That was not a voice he was familiar with. Something was here that definitely had not been here several years ago. "Identify yourself!" he demanded.

_"Child of the Jedi… Broken spirit…"_

Ben froze. The Jedi _had_ defeated the dark spirit from before, hadn't they? "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

_"Remaining for all eternity… lost…"_

"This can't be good," Ben started to retrace his steps, then realized that he couldn't tell which way was out. "What in Yoda's name?" Without warning he was bowled over by an unseen force. His head cracked against the wall and he dropped his lightsaber.

_"Jedi! My curse…"_

"Sorry?" Ben muttered, getting back up. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling stickiness. Great; he was bleeding. He reached down and picked up his lightsaber, trying to discern which way was the entrance. There was no light to give him any clues, and something was blocking his from using the Force externally. Well, he would just have to go internal. He focused on drawing himself inwards, hiding himself in the Force. Just as soon as he tried he was suddenly ripped out of concentration, a painful grasp holding his attention tightly.

_"Broken can be repaired… Jedi fall-"_

"Back off, Kuny-boy!"

Ben saw a deep red light shine down the hall. "Tahiri!" he gasped as the dark spirit holding him let go. He scrambled towards her.

_"Darkness… Prove your worth… Kill the Jedi…"_

"You're dead, Kun. You've been dead for thousands of years, and your spirit was finally destroyed when you tried to capture Luke." Tahiri held her ground, her eyes staring fiercely past her lightsaber. "Just because a powerful Sith Lord comes into the galaxy doesn't mean you're anything more than an echo," she growled.

To Ben she snapped, "Get out of here, Jedi!"

"But what about-"

"Go! I'll take care of this!

Ben decided not to disagree. So far she seemed to be faring better against the spirit than Ben was. He took off running and didn't stop until he was outside and across the lake. When he turned around, he saw that Tahiri had followed him out. "What happened?"

Tahiri slapped him, switching off her lightsaber at the same time. "Don't you try that again! We don't need any more Sith running around, thank you very much. No one even listens to the 'Rule of Two' anymore, do they?"

Ben just stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry, but I just spent the last week evading viscous wildlife, not that they were a problem, just annoying, but having to deal with a dark spirit, too? I've just had my entire world turned upside down, my beliefs questioned, my master killed, and I'm having to hide from a Jedi Grand Master gone bad. You think I might be a little grumpy?"

Ben blinked. "I think you're going to have to work on that, 'There is no emotion' part some more."

She clenched her teeth and made as if to slap him again, but she managed to only clench her fist. "You… you are lucky." She turned around and let out an aggravated grunt.

Ben nodded his head in inclination. Well, she was right about that. At least she didn't seem bent on killing him or converting him. That and she had probably just saved his life. "Sooo," Ben said slowly, trying not to raise her anger again, "What just happened in there?"

She shook her head, then finally turned back around to face Ben. She looked visibly calmer, and Ben guessed she had been trying to let go of the dark side of the Force during her exile. "As far as I can tell, a certain Sith spirit decided to make a comeback when Luke fell. I guess those things are really hard to get rid of, considering a team of Jedi defeated Exar's spirit quite a while back. Maybe it had something to do with Jacen having helped stave off the spirit when Luke was incapacitated."

"How come I couldn't react, but you could?"

"Jedi… Sith… I used the dark side against him, you were trying to use the light side, and you aren't nearly as strong as he is."

"And you are?"

"I gave it the hint that I was interested in his power, broken though it was. But enough about me. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. In case you hadn't noticed, my dad is trying to kill me," Ben said sharply.

"Right… Um, how's that going for you?"

He scowled. "Not good. Now how do we stop him?"

"You're asking me? He just killed my master, which isn't such a bad thing, but it doesn't leave me in a very good spot. I guess we need to make a decision soon, though, because a certain Force-sensitive child is coming our way."

Ben frowned. "Who?"

"You're second cousin, Allana. Somehow I don't think that she's flying a space shuttle by herself, so I would guess that Luke's got her."

"Is she…"

"Well, from the little bit I sensed of her, I think she's still good. It could still be a trap, though."

"I'd count on it. So what are we going to do about it?"

Tahiri put her hands on Ben's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Play along. That's one thing Luke wouldn't be expecting."

Ben swallowed hard. This wasn't going to be good.


	11. The Force of Life

Another scene from Luke/Corrun's point of view. Hopefully it gives a better explanation of what he means to do. I mean to write the Luke/Jaina fight in the next chapter. After that it will -likely- go into the final confrontation. Or maybe I'll think of something else that needs said. We'll see. I'm amazed by the number of hits this story is getting. So please, if you like it, please leave comments as to what you like about it. :-) In the meantime, here's chapter eleven! :-D

**Chapter 11**

They were out there; Corrun knew it. He looked around, keeping his eyes on the underbrush. Tahiri was somewhere about a kilometer away according to his senses in the Force. Ben, on the other hand, had hidden himself. If Corrun really wanted to find Ben he suspected that he could do it. But then he would be too vulnerable to attack. At his side, Allana shifted restlessly, kicking at the dirt.

"You know what to do?" he asked, not looking down at her. He could sense her well enough.

She didn't look up. "Yes, Corrun," she said shortly. He hadn't yet convinced her to say 'master,' and that was fine. It wouldn't matter much longer, anyway.

"Get to it, then."

She grumbled to herself, shuffling away. Without pulling too hard on the Force, Corrun let just a small bit of lightning erupt from his hand, ending right before it reached her. She needed encouragement. Allana jumped forward, spun around and stuck her tongue out at him, then ran into the jungle. He sighed. If he had more time she held such promise. But that time was about to be cut short.

"Alright, Ben. I need you here," he muttered to himself, moving in the direction that he felt Tahiri.

This would be harder than the others; Ben was his son. Still, Caedus had tainted Ben with his teachings of the dark side and by killing Ben's mother. Ben was too strong with the force, too able to take revenge. There lay the danger in the Force. It was so easy to take revenge, to constantly bicker back and forth between who had the most power, who was the best. If there was ever to be lasting peace, then all traces of revenge from such powerful beings had to be destroyed, or at least subdued. So far he had succeeded in his plans, but for the moment things were more vengeance-worthy than before. Only with Ben, Tahiri, and Han's death could he ensure that the most powerful would not be able to retaliate. Allana would be taken care of in one way or another. Either Ben and Tahiri wouldn't trust her, Allana would fall to the wilderness, or she would die when he killed the two Force users. If those didn't work, he would come back for her after he had killed Han.

Darth Corrun soon came to the spot where he had felt Tahiri. She was sitting in a tree, but he still moved almost directly underneath it. Without making a motion that he knew where she sat, he spoke. "Tahiri, your master is dead." He felt a slight shift in her emotions, fear. She knew that he knew where she was. "It doesn't matter whether you've returned to the Jedi, you have been tainted. I'm partially responsible for that, for killing Caedus."

He sensed confusion, but more importantly, he felt Ben's cover lifting. Ben was only a few meters behind him. "Hello, Ben," he said quietly.

The leaves rustled, but he kept his back turned. "Dad…" Ben's voice cracked.

It was to be expected. If there was someone Ben had least expected to turn, it would have been him. "I love you, Ben," he said honestly. "Understand this before you die- the dark side is often accessed by those meaning to do best. Some have been more successful than others. In an off-hand way, Darth Caedus was achieving peace. The problem is that he didn't stop the source, and that is revenge. Jedi kill Sith, Sith kill Jedi, all because of revenge, whether they admit it or not."

"And this is reason to kill us all?" Ben asked angrily.

Corrun didn't turn around just yet. If he did, he might not do what was needed, or he would be caught off-guard. "Not all of you. There are still a few who do not distinguish between Jedi and Sith, who are innocent in the ways of revenge. How angry where you when you realized that someone you looked up to killed your mother, my wife?"

Ben didn't answer. Corrun felt Tahiri inch slightly down the branch she sat on. Somewhere in the distance he felt Allana running. They hadn't killed her, after all. Very well, he could do it later.

"You're a murderer, Luke," Tahiri snapped. "Just like Jacen was!"

He felt Ben wince. It was decided that Jacen died when Caedus took over. But things didn't happen that quickly. It wasn't like an entirely separate entity. Somewhere Corrun was still Luke, but that Luke had changed. As a person learned new things, the part of them that believed falsely died and the new one was born. In that sense, Luke and Jacen had died, but in yet another Luke was very much alive. "Yes, I am," he answered. "But not like Caedus, as you mean. Jacen meant well, as I do. However, unlike Jacen, I will not claim that this is the 'good' way to do it. Doing it the 'good' way overlooked the sole reason that we kept fighting wars in the first place."

He sighed. Might as well get it over with, he had said what he needed to. He began to build the power of the Force within him, and then turned around. "That is why I must kill you."

"Liar!" Ben screamed, lunging forward with his lightsaber igniting at the same time that Tahiri leapt from the high branch, red lightsaber gleaming.

Corrun didn't look away from his son as he raised his still-flesh hand at an angle between the two Jedi. Without a word, he yanked the Force and their life-will from them. Tahiri gasped and lost her control of the Force, crashing behind Corrun. Ben simply stumbled forward, falling life-less to the ground. Corrun didn't let go of the power he held, feeling it run from them to him, feeling a stronger surge in his ability to use the Force. Then both bodies were gone, entirely usurped by his power. He let go, holding his arm still in the air. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sudden brightness in his surroundings. He let his breathing slow down, concentrating.

He had done it. He had actually fed on the Force. It was an accomplishment and a curse. He lowered his hand, opening his eyes again and looking around him. The tree he stood under, as well as the bushes around him, had turned brown and dead. He wasn't yet able to control how far he went with that ability. It was a sad ending to the two apprentices, he thought to himself. They didn't even get a chance to fight him.

There was still something he needed to try, though. He knelt near one of the bushes he had killed, then placed his hand over its leaves. Concentrating, he went into meditation, then let go. He urged the Force to rejoin with the bush, to stir it back to life. He could feel the extra strength not leaving him, but running through him like a conduit. When he opened his eyes, the bush was green again, blossoming better than before.

So it worked. Two powers in one man. It could be done- life could be returned. Of course, he didn't have the power yet to do it with someone that had been killed like Ben had. But if the body was there…

"So Palpatine wasn't lying to Father, not entirely," Corrun whispered, standing again. He looked around.

Allana had stopped running, and he sensed that it was because she felt the deaths of Ben and Tahiri. He started to go after her, when something in the Force felt like it back-handed him. He waited, listening with his senses. _There is another with Han. He's training a Jedi. She's not particularly powerful, but she has help, the help of many Jedi…_

Corrun cursed to himself, turning instead to go back to the ship. Allana would have to wait. If he didn't deal with the girl - Kayala? – he could lose what he had done so far. Han and the girl had to be killed now to avoid any further complications. Then he could deal with Allana, and maybe even have the time to train her.


	12. A Darker Force

Two more chapters to go! :-D And for this one, the Jaina/Luke flashback! Yay! :-D So hopefully this is interesting, and please let me know what you like/dislike about it. It helps me out for future chapters or stories. :-)

**Chapter 12**

Corrun throttled the engine, initiating shuttle lift-off. It would be a little while before he would have to face Han and his apprentice, as unlikely as that sounded for a scoundrel who hadn't even believed in the Force until he met Luke. Entering hyperspace, Corrun watched the blue lines streak across the view window. It was time for contemplation and meditation. Han, though not Force-sensitive, would still be a tricky fight. Corrun closed his eyes and drifted into meditation.

* * *

Luke didn't move for a long moment after Caedus slumped to the ground in death. Was Caedus right? Had he really caused Luke to fall to the dark side? He thought back to the events of the battle. Too quickly he had used lightning and then called on the dark side of the Force to strengthen his resolve. "A philosophy of evil," he whispered, recalling the words he had spoken long ago as warning. He could still turn back, but he had already lost so much, and the galaxy was sure to erupt in chaos now that Darth Caedus was dead.

He stood and buckled his lightsaber to his belt, still holding Caedus' Sith one in his other hand. He knelt to retrieve his cloak, carefully putting it back over his shoulders. His broken left hand still throbbed, but now that the immediate danger was gone, he could meditate to heal it. He sat the lightsaber down and sat, positioning himself carefully with his broken leg out so that he could heal that as well.

As he tried to reach into meditation he realized that the healing power seemed farther away, harder to reach. _The problem of the dark side,_ he thought as he pushed himself closer to it so that his leg would mend, _is that it is so easy to fall, and so hard to rise again. I wonder, though, is it possible to merge the two together, to know when to use either to further your cause?_

He felt his leg beginning to set correctly, the bone restructuring itself under the hand of the Force. As the pain lessened, he let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't thought it would work. Now he turned his attention to his hand, first sensing each of the fragmented bones and returning them to their proper place. This time the pain did not lessen, and he felt it turning instead to a fuel, lighting his pain of how Caedus had hurt him. _So that's the tradeoff. I can still heal, but the pain is there to be used as part of the dark side. Will this go away in time, or have I permanently linked the two together?_

He flexed his mended hand, wiping away the crusted blood. The pain dissipated once he was done using the Force to heal it, but he could distinctly feel it brooding in the back of his mind. He would have to deal with it later.

Suddenly he was alerted to the presence of another coming toward the incinerator room. He looked up at the intuition. "Jaina? I must have let down my guard; she followed me here." He recognized who it was through the Force.

The Jedi Knight burst into the room, her lightsaber already glowing. Luke automatically grabbed the lightsaber on the ground, igniting its blade. It shined red against him, and he realized that it was Caedus'. Jaina's eyes widened as she recognized the weapon and looked behind Luke to the body on the floor. Just as quickly her attention returned to Luke. She scowled. "You've fallen," she accused; she had already sensed the change.

"He had to be killed, there was no other-"

She shook her head. "I was in orbit when I felt him turn. Why didn't you?"

"He didn't-" Luke stopped.

"_You're- Uncle Luke…"_

Why hadn't he felt it? Caedus had hesitated, and Luke had attacked. His emotions had gotten in the way. Caedus had begun to bring a certain, strangled peace to the galaxy, but he had tainted it. And Luke killed him. There had to be a better way to bring peace that actually lasted.

"You see?" Jaina demanded, holding her ground at the door.

Luke saw the gleam of anger in her eyes, felt the desire she had to punch him in the face. She was waiting now to see what he did, but that anger would remain. It was the taint Caedus had brought with him, a taint he transferred to Luke. Luke realized with dread that there was only one way to remove the taint of revenge from the galaxy. He had felt it earlier when he killed Caedus. It wasn't the Jedi way, and it wasn't exactly the way of the Sith, though they were on the right track.

For just a moment more he looked at the woman who was known as the Sword of the Jedi. "I see more than a single death, Jaina. Your brother, too, realized that. How he did it simply made the circumstances worse, though." The woman tilted her head, apparently not sure how to react. "You…" How should he phrase it? "…were a victim of circumstance." It was time.

He leapt off the ground, using the Force to propel him through the air for his first attack. Instinctively, Jaina brought her own lightsaber up to block it. He pulled her with the Force, but she defended herself, twisting out of harm's way and kicking the lightsaber from his hand. He grabbed it with the other as he landed on both feet, taking his own lightsaber in his free hand. Ignoring the pain from her kick, he flipped the blade over, taking an outward swipe for her head while thrusting the second lightsaber for her torso.

Jaina pushed herself away from the wall and rolled back into the hallway, already back on her feet. She gripped the hilt in both hands, watching Luke closely. He moved in, switching basic attacks between his two sabers while she hurried to defend herself. Suddenly, as she tried to get a thrust in, he spun around with a flurry, nearly catching her undefended shoulder. Still, she recognized the threat in time and blocked him while he advanced with his other lightsaber. He had the upper hand, and he knew it. Jaina did not stand a chance.

Just as he thought that, she turned and ran. _Coward; how unlike her_. He threw his red blade through the air, letting it arc in circles towards her back. But she suddenly jumped and grabbed hold of an overhead pipe, pulling herself up and twisting around in the same move. As his lightsaber sailed past, she dropped to the floor and ran again for Luke.

He yanked back on the spinning saber, preparing to attack her from behind while attacking front. She had a different idea, jumping over his head and swishing her weapon as she went. The fiery blade scraped the edge of his shoulder. He grunted, feeding the pain to his own emotions. _Anger_; he would learn how to use the dark side to aid him, just as he had used the light before.

He grabbed Caedus' lightsaber as he spun around to confront her, but she had run inside the room he killed the former Sith Lord in. Agitated, he followed her. Once inside he found that she was searching the room for other weapons. A short tube flew to her hand, the lightsaber that he lost in the first fight.

Quickly, Jaina turned around to face him. She didn't move this time, except to let her new lightsaber begin its low hum as it turned on. "You have fallen, Luke. You shouldn't have killed Caedus. You should have let one of us deal with it- someone who wouldn't want revenge." He heard the emotion masked behind the stoic voice she used now.

He straightened up, sensing that she wouldn't attack for the moment. Let her think he would consider returning. "I was the only one sure to stop him. You wouldn't be able to bring the final peace needed. It's not something a Jedi can do," he said somberly.

She shook her head. "Peace because no one is alive is not peace, Luke Skywalker. Surely you haven't forgotten that, Uncle."

"No, that is precisely what I have not forgotten. " He took a step forward. "Those who are tainted by thoughts of revenge cannot be left living if peace is to be had."

"Everyone wants revenge at some point- even the Jedi. How you handle it is what matters. You are not handling it well right now." She scowled.

"Unlike your brother, I do not intend to kill without meaning. Examples only create anger and seething desire for revenge. To achieve peace, all those targeted by the examples must be killed."

"Like the Jedi Purge?" Jaina snapped. "They would have had the initiative to stop Darth Sidious."

Luke thought for a moment. She was right. "He had the right idea, but he counted on others to do his work for him. The strength of the Sith should not rely on tricking others to do the dirty work. A true Sith must do his own work, or he risks either missing someone or having an incompetent guard deciding not to carry out the order. Do you understand me?"

Jaina scoffed. "I will not be turned by your twisted reasoning! You've forgotten yourself. You're the Grand Jedi Master- or you were. Don't tell me that all those years of fighting the Empire and the Sith and corrupt politicians has been forgotten!"

"No. But as times pass, you begin to understand why they do what they do, more and more. It is the loss of innocence, as even Ben learned."

"You can still be good if you have lost innocence to those matters!" Jaina yelled, waving her lightsaber at him. "You've proved that time and time again. You once did fall to the dark side, and Mom and Dad brought you back! That can happen again!"

She was pleading now. Luke shook his head. "I'm sorry Jaina. Things cannot be different."

"Why not?" she demanded. "You've changed the rules- even Old Ben didn't think Lord Vader could be saved, and _you_ redeemed him. Don't you think it's a bit cruel to redeem a dark man, only to fell yourself?"

"Is it cruel that war goes on," Luke asked quietly, "Because no one is willing to do things no one else does in the name of greater good?"

"Mynock in a bantha's skin," Jaina growled. "That's what Jacen thought, and look where it got him!" She pointed to Caedus' body only a few feet away.

"He had the right idea, but his reasons where wrong. He didn't go far enough; he was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Of hurting himself by killing the ones he loved."

Jaina looked taken aback, curling her lip in disbelief. "You _have_ fallen, Luke. I don't know you anymore, and I don't think you know yourself either. I don't do this out of revenge; I do this out of necessity." She moved into a fighter's stance.

"So do I," Luke said simply. "So do I."

Both aided by the Force, they attacked each other. Both brandished the two weapons with fierce devotion, and both forgot who they were attacking. Luke brought his two weapons together at the same time while Jaina forced hers up and pushed his in an outer arc, intending to attack him full front. He stepped back, narrowing her point of attack by standing with only his side facing her. Then he spun and brought both blades across in an over handed gesture, aiming for her skull. She dropped down on her knee, crossing her lightsabers to form an "x" that caught his. She started to force his lightsabers away, but he had a different idea. He switched both lightsabers off, stepping back at the same time. Almost in the same instant he reignited them, lower than originally, and used the Force to propel them forward.

Jaina staggered, the swipe that she had intended to behead Luke with completely forgotten. She looked numbly down at her chest, where the red and green lightsabers protruded. Luke let go of his lightsabers with the Force, shutting them off, then he let them fly through the air and return to his hands.

"You are corr-" Jaina started to speak. "Unn..." she grunted instead, crumpling to the floor. Then she disappeared.

"Hmm," Luke mumbled, looking down at the empty robes and forgotten lightsabers. "She meant to say I was corrupt, but she died before she could finish," he speculated. "Pain and corruption. Corrun. I guess the name Skywalker does not apply to me now, and neither does Grand Jedi Master, though I still have those skills."

"Darth Corrun." He paused. "It does have a certain ring to it." He took a final glance to the spot where Jaina had died. "Congratulations, you just chose the name of the new Sith Lord."

He shook his head, leaving the room behind. Jaina would be rolling in her grave at that thought, had she stuck around to be buried. He had things to do, though. First, he needed to tend to Leia and Han. No, he couldn't trust them very long, but if they hadn't realized the change, he might be able to use them for a short time. It wouldn't work for the big things, but it could help him out a little.

That in mind, he returned to his shuttle, Caedus' lightsaber in hand.


	13. The Last Hope

One chapter left to go! :-D And here is the big scene! (At least, I hope it comes across as such). I would like to mention, there's quite a few references to other books and stories here, ranging from Star Wars: Knights of the Republic, Tales of the Jedi, and a trilogy that I still can't remember the name of. (It involved Kyp Durron and also had the scene I reference here talking about Exar Kun's spirit. This also references Legacy of the Force, of course. So, now for the Kayala/Corrun fight scene. :-)

**Chapter 13**

"You're sure he's coming?" Kayala wringed her hands together, looking at the face of the dead Jedi's apparition. This wasn't good, not good at all. If Darth Corrun was coming, then her training was over.

"Yes," Mara inclined her head. She raised it again to say, "And unfortunately he has indeed become the thing of legend."

"The _Sith'ari_?"

"Yes. Leia and I have begun calling on the other Jedi- those who have died long before us. There are a few-" Mara bit her lip, apparently thinking. "There are few who aren't _Jedi_, per se, but have chosen to help us. It's a little odd, when you think about it."

"Isn't it all?" Kayala mumbled, thinking about the lightsaber in her hand. It wasn't technically real, but apparently her talent led her to make things believe it was real, so much so that it actually hued things apart with its blade. She had her suspicions that this wasn't entirely her power, that some of the Jedi that liked to show up at random were aiding her. No real surprise there, though, considering how much they wanted Corrun dead.

"Well, Sith and Jedi don't usually work together."

"_Sith?_ I thought they couldn't become 'one with the Force!'"

"Who knows? The Force works in strange ways. Anyway, there will be help behind you."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do?" Kayala let her imaginary lightsaber vanish so that she could cross her arms. Instantly she felt relief at not using so much power.

"That's what we're debating. Most of us want him dead, but we saw what happened when Luke killed Caedus with the same idea. Like it or not, the revenge factor is there, and he could play that card if he wanted. Someone _else_ suggested a game of Sabacc- winner takes the galaxy." Mara glared over her shoulder at someone that Kayala couldn't see. "Yes, Katarn, that means you!"

"Somehow I don't think he'd take that for an answer," Kayala scowled.

"Same here. Actually, we'll be lucky if he doesn't just land and strike you dead without saying a word."

Kayala shivered. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"That," Mara said with a grin, "is why we're going to be here."

"Great. What about Han?"

Mara frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "Well… he's…. he's not going to be around to see it."

"You saw him die?" Kayala shrieked.

Mara quickly waved off the idea, then rubbed her ear. "No, of course not! Just the opposite! We're going to make sure that he _doesn't_ get killed, should you fail."

"He'd kill you if you weren't already dead."

"No doubt about that." She grinned. "Point is, while you are our last hope, we're not very hopeful." Kayala snorted at Mara's bluntness. "On the bright side, you will give us a reason to force Han to-"

"Do what?" Han came up behind Kayala, both hands clenched with indignation. "I did not just go through all that to watch someone else die! I want my shot at Corrun, regardless of what happens to me! I want-"

"Sleep," Mara said shortly, motioning with her hand. Han crumpled to the ground, completely unconscious. She sighed. "Scoundrels have such a tendency to overwork themselves."

"Huh?" Kayala looked between the Jedi and Han. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, though he won't be happy when he wakes up."

As Kayala watched, Leia appeared kneeling beside Han, then another, much younger woman with similar features knelt on his other side. They both reached down and picked him up, taking care not to drop him. They began walking down the hill, two glowing apparitions caring the grown man to safety.

"That looks freaky," Kayala commented.

"Han would think so, too, if he woke up. But he's not going to, not until the battle is well underway." Mara knelt on her knees so that she could be face to face with Kayala. "Look, Kayala, I'm sorry that you've been put in this position. I know it's not enviable. But we need you. There's something you should know. I've been talking with the others in the Force, and they told me that over four thousand years ago, a man named Exar Kun trained here. He was a Jedi, and very ambitious. He became interested in Sith artifacts, and so sought them out. However, during one of his excursions, he was broken in a Sith tomb; he arose again a Sith. For a short time he ruled the galaxy before being betrayed. He sought out refuge in his temples on Yavin 4, where he chained his spirit to one to avoid death. Four thousand years passed, and he was forgotten.

"Then one day, Luke Skywalker decided to use that temple as training grounds for the New Jedi Order. Soon after one of his apprentices was killed, he was forced out of body by the Sith Lord, where he could only contact the young Jedi twins, Jaina and Jacen. As Kun swooped in to attack, Luke used the Force to aid Jacen in stopping Kun from killing him. Then the Jedi apprentices took their lightsabers together to attack Kun's spirit, destroying the darkness with light. Exar Kun was finally defeated.

"But recently, as soon as Luke fell, something rose again in that temple. It was an echo of the spirit that dwelled there before, but it still remained. This may not seem important now, but it is. Luke became the _Sith'ari _where Exar Kun fell, and he is coming here, where Exar Kun rose."

"You think there are parallels?" Kayala asked, drawn in by the story.

"Yes, I do. At first we considered attacking Darth Corrun with lightsabers, or with the light side of the Force. But that won't work. Corrun can still use the light side of the Force to heal and bring things back to life, even while he uses the dark side to destroy it."

"So what should I do?" This was starting to sound even more impossible than she first imagined.

"I don't know. But one of the… more unusual, Force-users here, suggested that you have some unique ties to the Force. You told Han that you felt them when hunting. You also have an uncanny ability with creating illusions, which is ironic after I threatened you with them to begin with. You won't have much time when Darth Corrun arrives, but think of some way in which you can use both those powers. I'm sure you can think of something. We will be here to back you." Mara smiled, gently giving Kayala's shoulders a shake. "May the Force be with you." She disappeared.

"Wait!" Kayala stepped forward to stop her, then grunted with frustration. "Why do they always do that? 'We'll give you help' they say, and what do they do? Vanish in thin air! Agh!" Kayala kicked the dirt and sulked the entire way back to the _Millennium Falcon_.

* * *

Like a comet foretelling doom, Corrun's shuttle streaked across the early morning Dantooine sky. The cool air rushed in a moment later, sending dew drops flying off the tall bits of grass and spraying the young Jedi. Kayala felt her heart sink; he was here. She pushed herself off the ground, standing and brushing dirt off her pants. She walked in the direction that the shuttle had disappeared, not running so that she could conserve energy. She had an idea about what to do, but she wasn't sure that it would work on someone as powerful as Luke had become.

"_May the Force be with you," _a voice whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, Mara," she said quietly, not needing to see the Jedi to know who it was. As it was, none of the others had shown themselves yet. They would wait until she confronted Darth Corrun. The key was that she did not get into an actual fight with him. All of her plans hinged on him taking just a moment to talk to her, so that her attack would not immediately cause alarm, just confusion.

It took her twenty minutes to find where Corrun had landed. When she did, she saw the shuttle first, and then the dark figure standing tall just outside. He held a lightsaber but he did not seem to be in a hurry to use it. When he saw her standing at the top of the hill, he strode forward to meet her.

Kayala stayed where she was, hoping he wouldn't just zap her with Force lightning. Instead he came within a few meters of her, his shirt and hair ruffling in the morning wind. "Hello, Kayala."

_How the Force does he know my name?_ Kayala thought with a stab of fear. This was a powerful man in front of her.

His somber expression did not change. "It is a sorry thing that the Jedi have brought you into this when you would not have been touched otherwise."

"What do you mean?" Kayala asked warily, hoping to distract him. She still wasn't sure what he meant, but she doubted he would say anything good.

"I am only interested in stopping those who want revenge on each other, those who cannot see when to forgive. You have nothing against me or any of those who have power to cause galactic-wide problems."

"Oh." He was wrong though. "My parents were on the station with the Jedi, restocking supplies."

He frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face. "I see. Perhaps fate has brought us here, then."

"Han always said that fate is what you make of it."

"Han- where is he? I can't sense him." This time Corrun looked generally worried. He turned his attention to Kayala, his gaze intensifying. "Where is Han Solo?"

She cringed. He was pushing at her with the Force, making her tell him. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. He prodded harder, making the desire to tell him hurt. "The Jedi took him, I don't know where."

He let go, apparently realizing she told the truth. "Jedi? But there are no-" He stopped short, looking past her. She looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she saw just how many glowing figures stood behind her in various positions and expressions. There was Mara and Leia, and the woman who had helped take the unconscious Han away. Then there were others- a short green one, grizzled old men, people in masks that hid their identity to those who couldn't recognize the markings, and aliens that Kayala had never seen before, among others.

"This is unusual," Corrun said simply. "You all wish to go against me?"

It was Mara who stepped forward. "Yes, Luke. Where once we would have followed you where ever you took us, now we must not let you go forward. You seek to destroy those who would take revenge, but can you not see that you will have to destroy yourself, as well?"

"I know that, and I know it will have to be done once my work is finished."

"You're work _is_ finished here, Luke. As Jaina said, you have become corrupted. Eventually you would realize that even the smallest being can harbor revenge and act on it, and there would be nothing left living in the galaxy. And you would not stop there, not as the creature you have become. It might not happen immediately-"

"But it rarely does," another man said, stepping from the line. He was masked, hiding his identity from Kayala, but his voice betrayed his gender. Corrun seemed to recognize him, however. "You may intend to do good, but slowly your ways become more drastic until you finally grip the galaxy entirely and without remorse. There are very, very few who can stop even if they know when to. You have researched the stories of the Sith and the Jedi, and you know mine. Can you honestly say that you will be able to stop at killing the most powerful in the name of good?"

Corrun said nothing, listening to the man's words. It seemed to Kayala that the man who spoke was not Jedi, but not entirely Sith, either. Finally, Corrun had something to say. "This cycle must be stopped, and the only way is to stop the source-"

"The Force is composed of dark and light side elements," an old woman said sharply. "You of all people know this. The only way to destroy revenge is to destroy life and the Force itself. You will not do this, but you are welcome to try if you like." Her lips curled into a snarl, and she disappeared entirely.

Kayala shivered. Mara spoke again. "Ignore her. Don't do this, Luke. Step back. Let the course of events run clean on their own."

"If you do not think you can do this, the Force can be stripped away from you, Skywalker. You would not be the first," another woman said, standing by a weary looking man.

Corrun shook his head. "No. I will do what I need to do, though your points are valid. I will remember what you've said, so that my work will still have meaning."

"Then you will die," Mara said quietly, stepping away.

Kayala shot her a glare. _I'm the one he's going to kill!_ she thought with frustration.

Corrun lit his lightsaber. Kayala glanced at the red glow coming from the weapon, then held out her hand. She concentrated, letting her weapon materialize in her hand. Once she felt its weight in her palm, she switched it on. The blade ignited yellow, then slowly faded in and out of the other colors: green, blue, purple, and even orange, before cycling back through to yellow.

"Unusual weapon," Corrun said simply.

Kayala shrugged. "I couldn't decide, no one said what it should look like."

Corrun raised an eyebrow and then started to swing his lightsaber in an arc before stepping in to attack. But Kayala stayed where she was, envisioning a rope weaving between her left hand and his. He let go of his lightsaber, trying to yank his hand away, but she held it tight.

_Now, for the Force._

She strengthened her concentration on the rope, only barely noticing the other Jedi who had fallen stepping in and placing a hand on the rope illusion. She could feel Corrun trying to pull away, using everything he could to break the bond, but she suddenly tapped into one of his attempted attacks.

She screamed at the same time he did, feeling a sudden rush of power flood her as she successfully broke into the Force that flooded through him. He dropped to the ground on one knee, no longer trying to attack her, but trying to sever the connection.

"What are you doing?" he growled, staring at her with anger. "If you want my power, that will only make you a Sith, too." His eyes glowed with rage, making the darkness that surrounded them all the more noticeable.

"No," she shook her head, feeling sick to her stomach. In her still free hand, she raised the lightsaber she had created. The Jedi holding the rope closed their eyes, a soft whisper surrounding them as some meditated on the Jedi code out loud. "I don't take any of it."

Corrun realized at the last minute what she was doing "No!" he roared, yanking back on the powers that had been flooding between them on the rope twisted of the Force. He grabbed the lightsaber with his right, robotic hand, and attempted to throw it at her.

She brought the lightsaber down on the rope. It snapped in two, and the last thing she saw was the white explosion emanating outwards from the spot where the rope had broken. The only thing above the roar that she heard was her and Corrun's screams.


	14. The Force Lives On

The final chapter, yay! :-D This is the last chapter of "Star Wars: The Last Hope", and I hope you enjoy it. I know I enjoyed writing it, and I appreciate everyone who's taken the time to read and review it or added it to their favorites/alerts. Please do take the time to tell me what you liked or did not like about the story, and whether or not I kept it feeling "in universe." Thanks again! :-D As for the galaxy far, far away, we will be coming out of hyperspace shortly...

**Chapter 14**

Han ran up the hill, cursing the Jedi as loud as he possibly could while still keeping his breath. Who did they think they were, knocking him out so that he couldn't help? He wasn't planning on sleeping while Kayala got herself killed! If she died, he was going to go down, too! He snorted, still frustrated, when he came to the top of the hill.

"How far did those Sithspawn take-" A giant white fireball was rolling his direction and growing bigger as it went. "Me? Okie," he gulped, spinning around and taking off running. He wouldn't be much help against whatever_ that_ thing was. The roar of it, and were those _screams_? grew behind him until he leapt face-first onto the ground. High overhead it passed, not coming into the lower part of the small valley.

Han covered his ears, unable to listen to the shrill sound of pain that accompanied the fireball. It didn't just sound horrible; it twisted at him and made him go entirely cold. Whatever it was, it was extremely destructive. What felt like hours finally passed in minutes, leaving him in quiet. Han shivered, unable to move. That thing had robbed him of all strength, leaving him helpless on the ground.

What was it with him? Everything had been destroyed; everyone he loved had died. Slowly his limbs relaxed, but all he could do was tighten himself into a ball, unable to consider moving. He would have been better off in carbonite, not knowing what happened around him. At least that had been a numb existence; this was painfully sharp.

He couldn't do it anymore. He glanced down at his side. The blaster was still there. He just looked at it from the corner of his eyes. He didn't want to do it, but what else _could_ he do? He had lost everything. He closed his eyes again, his face hot with another stream of tears. "They're dead, Han. Face it. You never should have loved them, it's too painful."

His hand touched the blaster, and he removed it from his belt. He fingered the trigger. It would be so simple, and hardly any more painful than he already felt. He thumbed it on, his eyes still closed. Then, slowly, he raised it to his head.

_"Han."_

His eyes shot open. "Leia?" he choked.

"You are not alone, Han. I can't be with you anymore; it takes all my strength just to tell you this. But she's still alive."

"Kayala?" His fingered loosened, but he did not move the blaster away.

Something slowly urged his hand away from his head, removing the danger of the blaster. "No, Han. Allana."

He dropped the blaster, numb. "How can she? Everyone's dead!"

"Go to Yavin 4, Han. I love you, Han Solo." She was gone.

"I know."

* * *

It was an odd feeling, not having a body. Corrun could sense everything around him, but he could see nothing, feel nothing, and hear nothing. The Force told him that he hovered somewhere above Dantooine's atmosphere, but he couldn't actually see the scar-pocked farmland.

He could move though. He moved in closer to the dead trees where Kayala had literally severed his Force and life bonds from his body. He could feel the ebb and flow of the Force around the two bodies lying on the scorched ground. Both looked pitiful, but oddly at peace. Still, it was disturbing to see his former body lying there, dead.

As to what happened to the Jedi who had intervened, he wasn't sure. For a brief moment he felt Leia's presence, stretched as it tried to remain on Dantooine, and then it was gone. The same was with the other Jedi. He couldn't even feel Mara, which reminded him of why he was here in the first place. He wasn't sure what happened to Kayala, since he had initiated the ritual during the time anything would have happened to her. In the spot between Kayala and Corrun's body there was no sign whatsoever of the Force, and he could not approach it.

He instead neared a tree several meters away. It was dead and broken. Out of curiosity he urged the Force to renew the life within the tree. Slowly it began to green again, the scorch marks lessening. He cringed, as well as spirit could, as he felt an imprint of his and Kayala's scream on it. Everything that had been touched by the explosion seemed to have that pain permanently etched on it. _The Jedi version of a thought bomb_. Still, he could affect the tree's growth, if only slightly.

With a blade of grass, he tried taking life from it. Slowly the grass browned and wilted, dying under his instruction. Corrun thought momentarily about the ability. Interestingly, it seemed he still had some of his powers, even if they could only urge things in one direction or another. The tree and grass had been simple; other things would not be so easy.

Then he saw, or rather felt, Han leaving in the _Millennium Falcon_. He moved towards the shuttle but left it alone. Was he chained to Dantooine, as other Sith Lords were when they tried in vain to preserve their spirits? He felt himself leave Dantooine, traveling in the direction for Coruscant. He considered Korriban, but decided against it. Even if he could affect life indirectly, which was a feat in and of itself; he didn't know how contact with other spirits would work, particularly since he could move where he wished.

Interesting. He might not be able to rid the galaxy of revenge as he planned, and the existence would be lonely, but he now had plenty of time to decide the best course of action to bring peace… starting with urging those who were corrupted to their eventual doom, and by protecting those who best preserved peace without revenge. A _Sith'ari _did not have to do things strictly one way or another; a balance would be needed. Luke Corrun would strike that balance.

* * *

The jungle of Yavin was as hot and humid as ever. Han tucked his blaster away in its holster, hoping no wild animals decided to attack him. "Allana?" He called out. "Allana!"

"Grandpa!"

Han spun around. The girl stood in the bushes. "Allana," he whispered, a happy shiver running through him. "Allana!" He crouched, welcoming her as she ran into his arms. Just as quickly he lifted her into the air and spun her around, not letting her go.

"Grandpa, is he gone?"

"Yes, Allana," Han ruffled her hair, sitting back on the ground. He didn't let go of his embrace. "He's gone." He closed his eyes, silently thanking Leia and Allana for saving him. "Please promise me something, Allana."

"What?"

"Never let go, Allana. Please never let me go."

"I won't, Han." She hugged him tightly around the neck. "What do we do now?" she asked in a small voice.

He looked at her in the face, for once not minding the tears of joy he felt. "I was thinking of going back into smuggling. How does that sound?"

She cocked her head, looking at him innocently. "Will I be copilot?"

He grinned, laughing. It felt so good to laugh again. "Sure, kid. You'll be the best copilot in the whole galaxy. And you know what? We'll make the Kessel run in _eleven_ parsecs." With a smile he gave her another hug. Things would be alright now. He had a good feeling about it.

_The End_


End file.
